Saw it again last night - some dude pushing around a cop, and the cop took and was nothing but polite! Baffling - the first time I saw this happen, the guy actually smacked the cop across the head, sending his hat flying. I was getting ready to see this guy get his @$$ handed to him, but the cop just calmly went over, picked up his hat, and did nothing.

I remarked to a girl I was hanging out with that if someone did that to a cop in Canada, they'd be beaten to a pulp. She was surprised, and said "Is it legal in Canada for the police to beat someone up?" I said "Uh, yeah, I guess it is...but it would probably be better to say that it is NOT legal to hit a cop."

Either way, the next time I take static from the fuzz, I'll just tell them that I don't feel like being arrested today and please get outta my way. It seems they're not going to do anything about it anyway...

The police here here are, to put it politely, castarati--ie., no balls. Even the average Korean thinks so. Low pay, long hours and simple corruption all help give everyone a low opinion of them and they don't want to get involved in anything dangerous considering their low pay. They don't have the professionalism of a first world police force nor the dangerous mafia-style power trips of a third world police force. They lose both ways. I think part of it goes back to the Japanese occupation, when people learned to hate the police because of collaboration. Then they went from that to being tools of the dictators. All respect went out the window.

To say nothing of all the student police who are just avoiding tougher service in the army. They usually do traffic duty. Kids in uniforms.

I never thought I'd live somewhere where I'd consider openly laughing at the police but I given the amount of crap they ignore here I can't say I fear or respect them.

I wasn't there so I can't question whether that was a "real" cop or not but those guys doing their military service are often posted as traffic cops/parking ticket distributors/etc. It is illegal for these guys to throw a punch, even in self-defense and everyone knows it. Many take advantage of them because they know nothing can be done.

A friend of mine was doing his military service giving out parking tickets in Youngdeungpo, in one of the rougher districts, and has his share of blows, bottles thrown at him, lead pipes to the legs, etc. Technically, he couldn't do anything. Unfortunately for the low-life gangster types causing him trouble, he is a former LA Korean Pride gangpae who was kicked out of the US after his 2nd stint in prison and sent back to Korea (dude never got US citizenship after living there his whole life.) He took it for awhile but then decided, "enough with this.." and let it fly. Some gangster would be giving him hell and he'd stop, look up and say "No Habi, OK?" (Habi being that payment for damages in a fight). Gangster would be a bit surprised but would think "who is this punk? OK, no Habi."
My friend would then rip off his shirt, exposing a fully tattoed upper body, and beat the guy down, bad.

Extended his military service by a few months because of all the trouble he got in but I think he feels it was worth it.

I told my Korean language teacher about the things I'd seen regarding the police, and she said that they're hands have been tied since all the student riots. She said that someone beating up on a cop is nothing, but a cop beating up anyone, regardless of provocation, is now front page news. Bit of a sad legacy for those student protests, which I believe had good intentions in mind (though obviously got out of hand)...

I was in PUSAN at one of the bigger subway stops and a older middle aged man was goeing apeshit and yelling and screaming abuse. And here was young cop trying to get him to calm down. The cop took abuse from the guy for about 3 minutes then had enough and hauled the guys ass down the hall way screaming at him.

Personally I was amazed the guy could go so long with out at least giving the screaming man a "think you idiot" smack.

I think confucionism gets in the way. Why should a younger and lower on the totem pole guy stand up to a older man.

But everyone in the end has there threshold of abuse. I have heard of police in Canada standing there and taking abuse from some asshole. And him also later getting dragging said ahole in to jail with charges of resisting arrest and assualt on a police office. Heck it is smart move just stand back grit your teeth and take abuse for minute and you have grounds for arrest and giving the guy a smack with your bog nightstick.